Forgiveness shows we know Christ

Paul concludes, the grace of the Lord Jesus be with your spirit. He typically ends with a benediction of grace, but he is making a point here. How can you forgive, Philemon? Because there is grace in your spirit. He is talking about the Holy Spirit because Christianity is not merely holding a set of beliefs, it is experiencing a supernatural internal transformation. Yes, it is progressive. It is decisive and it is progressive, as the Holy Spirit is embracing your spirit, so the things that you believe become the things that you want. You experience them, you desire them, you live them, you act them out. Mark Johnson writes; Philemon’ s ability to show Christlike grace to Onesimus is wrapped up in the fact that he himself not only received the grace of Christ in his spirit when he was converted, but he daily needs and experiences the grace of the Holy Spirit in his experience. I noted earlier that Philemon is so valuable as a test case for the whole gospel message, particularly the one proclaimed in Colossians. My friends, our lives today are a test case, and here is the question: Is the saving power of Jesus real? Is the gospel really just one of those philosophies? That is what people say: that there is really no difference, it is just kind of talk. Is that true? We are a test case of that. Do we believe that the message of Christ we know and experience is not merely words on the page, but that our hearts are being supernaturally remade to be like his? The answer is found particularly in the matter of forgiveness.

My friends, let me give you some good news. We can be forgiven through the blood of Christ. Even if you have not been forgiven by another Christian, why would it not be your joy to be forgiving? Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. But here is some more good news; we can forgive, the grace of Christ will be with our spirit. And so, in the words of Paul to the Colossians: and whatever we do, in word and in deed, [we really can] do it all in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father, through him.¹

Richard D. Phillips